Sliding door



United States Patent i" ce 2,798,261 i SLIDING Doon t .lames W. Greig, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Woodall Industries, Incorporated, Detroit, Mich.,.a corporation of i Michigan l Application December 17, 1953, Serial No. 398,719

3Claims. (Cl. 20-35) application comprised a door consisting `of a rigid panel lprovided alongeach upright margin with a split tube reinforcement extending along over the margin of the panel and secured thereto. This tube serves not only to reinforce and rigidity the panel so that it can serve its intended purpose but it also finishes and protects the margin ofthe door and its oppositeends provide a supporting mounting for roller or hanger assemblies which support the-door for sliding movement. Such tubes were commonly formed of metal and were so shaped that they not only extended along over the upright margin of the door panel and grippingly engaged the same but they also projected laterally vaway fromthe face of the door on both sides of the door. Each tube exhibited a di- ,.amet'er substantially'greater than the thickness of the door panel. Y V

AInmanyplaces where suchgdoors are used itis desirable Ithat .the door exhibit a ilush outer face, namely an outer face wherein the outer surface of the door panel itself is substantially ilush with the outer face of the tubular marginal reinforcement.

An object of this invention is to provide a door of the character described wherein the tubular reinforcement which extends along over each upright margin of the panel is so shaped and so secured to the door panel as to provide the door with a ush outer face.

The tubular reinforcement is so constructed that it Serves its intended purpose of protecting and surrounding the upright margin of the door to which it is attached and further provides a supporting mounting for the roller and hanger hardware used on the door and also the tube is so secured to the door that the outer face of the tube is approximately flush with the outer face of the door `so as to present a neat and attractive appearance and facilitate sliding movement of a plurality of doors relative to each other.

A meritorious feature of the invention is that the split tube which is secured to the margin of the door is so constructed that attachment of the tube to the door margin may be easily and conveniently accomplished and the tube when secured to the door panel grippingly engages the panel so as to maintain its position thereupon.

The tube is generally rectangular in cross section and the split extends along one linear corner of the tube and one margin of the tube wall at the split is interlocked with a cooperating margin of the panel so as to hold the edge of the panel within an interior seat provided in the tube. The opposite margin of the tube at the split resiliently engages the panel so that the panel is grippingly held between the two margins of the tube at the split.

`are shown.

2,798,261 Fatented July 9, 1957 2V Theconstruction of the tube and arrangement of the split .therein is Vsuch that the side wall portion Vof the tube which overlies the outer face of the door panel is held snugly in abutment therewith so that the door exhibits a substantially flush outer face.

Another meritorious feature is that in a tube of the character above described with the split disposed along one linear corner that portion of the interior wall of the tube opposed to the split is so shaped as to provide a vken away elevation and-the trackways in section;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and,

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the tube and that marginal portion of the panel which is to be inserted therein showing the same prior to their assembly together.

This invention relates to the door per se rather than to its support or mounting; and the upper and lower trackways and the particular hanger employed form no part of the instant invention. Certain of these are claimed in my co-pending application Serial Nos. 432,- 856and 417,309, liled May 27, 1954 and March 19, 1954,

respectively. The same is true as to the illustration of the embodiment in Fig. -1 where two sliding doors only YItis apparent the invention herein claimed might reside in a single door or in a number of doors that might be associated together.

The door of the invention comprises a rigid door panel 10 and asplit tube 12 which is adapted to be received over and Vsecured toa vertical margin of the panel 10.

I'histubeprovides rigidity and strengthfor the door. It also finishes oi the margin and serves as a mounting for upper and lower roller assemblies in the manner illustrated in other applications. In Fig. 1 two of these doors indicated as A and B are illustrated as disposed within the door opening dened by a frame 14. Such door opening might be provided with a lower trackway such as indicated by the numeral 16 in Fig. 2 and an upper trackway indicated by the numeral 18 in Fig. 2. The lower trackway denes two channels 20 and 22. A guide plate or roller 24 secured to the bottom of the door is adapted to ride within such trackway channels 20 and 22. The door of Fig. 2 is provided with an upper hanger 26 provided with a roller 28 supported to travel within a channel track 30 of the upper track element 18.

The door panel 10 may be formed of plywood composition fiber board such as Masonite or any suitable material or assembly of materials built up to constitute a rigid panel structure. The edge of the panel is shown as beveled at 32 and as provided with a channel 34 in one face which channel extends parallel to the edge of the panel.

The split tube is illustrated as generally rectangular in cross section. It may be formed of metal or the like. It is split along one linear corner as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. That side Wall portion 36 of the tube which defines one margin thereof along the split is shown as folded over upon itself as at 38. Such side wall portion is not only spaced laterally from the opposite side wall portion 40 which defines the opposed margin of the split but terminates short of the side wall portion 40. The side wall portion 40 is turned over as at 42.

insertion thereof. 45

' Fig. 3; The beveled edge 32 ofthe panel facilitates Vthe It is understood'that theside'iwall'portio 36 is ten- Y sioned inwardly and that portion of the tube opposite to the side wall 36 is tensioned toward such side wall36,

all as shown vin Fig. 4. When the'lpanel margin is in- Y serted through the slit into the Atube the side wall portion 36 is held yieldingly ag'ainstltheouter face of the Atube and the fold 38 is received within the channel 34 of the panel. The side wall portion'. 40 ofthe tube is held yieldingly against the opposite face of the panel so that the tube is graspedbetween its V,two margins at the /split and the edge of the tube is held` to its seat'within the channel'formed between the rib 44 and the side wall portion 36 by virtue of the fact that the fold 38 is engaged within the channel 34 of the panel.' As'shown the outer margin of the tube is provided with two ribs not only rib 44 but rib 44a which serves torrigidify thetube and also to give such outer margin a uniform appearance. What I claim is:

Vinterlocked with thepanel 'resisting withdrawal of the the edge of the panel to its seat against the tube is the 1. In a sliding door, a rigid door panel, a tube vsubstantially rectangular in cross section provided with a split extending along one linear corner, said split tube extending along over one margin of the panel with the marginal portion o f the panel disposed within the split and with the edge of the panel seated against that side Y wall of the tubeA opposed to the split, said side wall of the Y tube opposed to the split shaped to receive and embrace the edge of the panel, said tube having one side wall porl tion adjacent to the split lyingat against the adjacent face of the panel, the opposed side wall portion of the tube disposed spaced from its adjacent faceV of the panel, that side wall of the tube opposite to the side wall against which the edge of the panel is seated having a marginal part bearing resiliently against the adjacent face of the panel, and one of the marginal edges of the tube at the split interlocked within the face of the panel holding the edge of the panel to its seat against that side wall of the tube opposed to the split.

2. A door comprising, in combination, a rigid planar door panel, a tube substantially rectangular in cross section provided with a split extending along one linear corner, said tube received overa marginal portion of the panel with such marginal portion extending through the split in the tube and with one side wall of the tube lying flat against the adjacent face of .the panel and with the edge of the panel seated againstl that side Wall of the tube opposed to the split, that side wall of the tube opposed to the side wall Yagainst which the edge of the panel is seated having a marginal portion bearing resiliently against the adjacent face of theA panel holding the panel snugly against the rst-rnentioned side wall of the tube, said lastmentioned and said first-mentioned side walls of the tube tensioned toward each other, one of said tensio ned side walls of the tube having its edge urged into the adjacent face of the panel holdingrthe Vedge of the panel toward its seat against the tube wall opposedto the split and tube away from the edgeV of the panel. v

3. A door as defined in claim 2 characterized in that the, side wall of the tube provided with the'edge which interlockingly engages the face of thepanel and holds first-mentioned side wall of the tube and the face of the panel adjacentto said side wa'll is provided With a groove inwhich said edge of the side wall'of the tube is lseated and interlocked to hold the edge of the panel against that Wallof the tube opposite to the split, and said wall of the tubeV opposite to the split is'provided with a groove adjacent to the rstfmentioned side wall of the tube within which groove` the edge of the panel is seated. 35 'Y vReferences ited the; le of this patent- I A VUNITED STATES 'PATENTS Y Y Y 852,622 Rosehoom May 7,1907

939,039 Lawrence Nov. 2, 1909 2,111,448 Henman V Mar. 15, 193s 2,659,939 Greig Nov. 24, 1953 2,677,154 

